## 1922

### NOTE TO THE PEOPLE'S COMMISSARIAT OF FOOD SUPPLY ON THE SALT TRADE
27 February 1922

Now it remains to work out p r a c t i c a l l y the proposals:

Sell the People's Commissariat of Food Supply such-and-such an amount?

For commodity exchange for grain give (on credit?) such-and-such an amount under such-and-such conditions?

Use the warehouses thus-and-so?

Such-and-such a contract?

Lenin

### FROM CORRESPONDENCE ON THE "BINTE"*
27 February 1922

### NOTATION ON A MEMORANDUM FROM THE MANAGEMENT OF THE AFFAIRS OF THE COUNCIL OF PEOPLE'S COMMISSARS
27 February 1922

Vladimir Ilyich!

I am sending you one of the latest editions of the "Binte." According to official notification, this edition now costs us nothing, as it is covered by allocations.

Lenin

### FROM A LETTER TO DEPUTIES OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COUNCIL OF PEOPLE'S COMMISSARS
26 April 1922

Strictly Confidential

I am sending you a German letter from Varga**.

I am convinced that abuses of this sort abound among us.

Varga is probably right (I am writing to him that henceforth he must provide me with the name of his informant). I request that you appoint... the strictest investigation in Berlin to u n c o v e r those responsible for this "Binte" and then reorganize it r a d i c a l l y.

Appoint Evgeny Varga to the commission for investigation and reconstruction without fail.

Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars

V. Ulyanov (Lenin)

* The Bureau of Foreign Science and Technology was so named, established by decision of the Council of People's Commissars of 29 March 1921 at the Soviet trade mission in Berlin.

** This letter reported on the poor state of affairs at the "Binte."

### LETTER TO D. I. KURSKY AT THE PEOPLE'S COMMISSARIAT OF JUSTICE
28 February 1922

Comrade Kursky!

Regarding your letter of 23 February (No. 255) in reply to my letter.

I shall try to see you in person, but I do not promise to, as my health is poor.

I hope that after the meeting of responsible workers in connection with my letter, you will write to me further about the practical results of it. It is especially important to establish actual verification: what is actually being done? what is actually being achieved? the successes of the people's courts and revolutionary tribunals? how can this be accounted for and checked?

The number of trials for abuse of the NEP?

The number of convictions and what are the sentences (on the whole, not in individual cases)? etc.*

With communist greetings

Lenin

P. S. Especially urgent and important:

Regarding the civil code: I am not in a position to go into the formulation of individual articles. My health does not permit it.

I must limit myself to the following points:

1) The People's Commissariat of Justice must personally trace and verify who exactly is responsible for each important section of the civil code.

2) Everything that exists in the literature and experience of West European countries for the protection of the toilers must be taken without fail.

3) Do not limit yourself to this (this is the most important thing). Do not follow blindly after the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs. D o n o t p l e a s e " E u r o p e," but advance further in s t r e n g t h e n i n g s t a t e i n t e r v e n t i o n i n " p r i v a t e - l a w r e l a t i o n s ," in civil matters. I cannot say exactly how this is to be done, as I am not in a position either to study the question or to go into even a single code. But that this must be done—

* In his letter of 23 February 1922, D. I. Kursky, reporting on the work of the organs of justice under the conditions of the NEP, wrote: "To further strengthen the work of the People's Commissariat of Justice, the following measures have been adopted: the leadership of the Moscow people's courts has been changed, a more restricted conference has been convened in connection with your letter; three major economic trials have been scheduled for the Supreme Tribunal and a number of smaller ones for the people's courts. Members of the Collegium will take part in the trials" (Archive of IMEL, Doc. No. 25570).